4- 



} 



deeply coloured lines parallel with the axis of the segiiieiif ; 

 o«/<,/' with five similar ones ; the Jllamenis arc bent at the 

 top and connected by a joint with a short thick orange- 

 colonred frosted irregularly oblong strumous body, on the 

 inwardly shelving summit of which the anther is fixed by its 

 base. 'The above curious appendage of the stamens, re- 

 minds us in some sort of the thigh of the Bee, when loaded 

 with the golden farina collected from the blossoms of the 



field. 



The AspJwddccc of Mr. Brown include the Asphodeli of 

 Jussicu, along with several of his Asyaragi ; and are de- 

 fined as follows. " Corolla sixpartlte or sixclcft, regular. 

 Stamens 6, either inserted on the corolla or beneath the 

 germen (hypogynous) : the 3 opposite to the outer segments 

 being sometimes of a diiTcrent form from the rest and 

 sometimes entirely wanting, Germen detached, 3-celled ; 

 ceZ/,y many-seeded, seldom 2-seeded. Stijlel. Stig}na en- 

 tire or shallowly 3-lobed. Fruit generally a 3-celIed 3- 

 ralved capsule with partitions along the middle of the 

 valves ; sometimes an undivided, rarely a tripartite, herry. 

 Seedcase black, friable, crustaceous: albumen fleshy: em- 



hyo enclosed." 



The above is followed by a remark hy the same writer, that 

 he has in vain sought for a decisive and really natural distinc- 

 tion for this order (or, if you please, section of the LillaceceJ ; 

 that he has been able as yet to detect no other feature that 

 is common to the whole, and that separates them from the- 

 generality of their bordering kindred, than the black friable 

 crustaceous Seedcase^ which is easily separable from the fine 

 membranous coat immediately next to the seed : and on 

 this account he has added IIypoxis and Curculigo at the 



they 



der, each havinjr the same kind of seedca 



o 



and as not only the covering of the seed is different in 

 Blaxdfordia, but the dehiscence of the capsule, as well as 

 several other of the marks, he has for the same reason kept 



ly 



lie further observes," that the genera with be 



& 



not to be removed from those with capsules, nor all tlie 

 .n/aceous genera with berries and a germen above the co- 

 rolla (superior) piled together in one order." He likewise 

 takes notice," that the joint at the middle or the summit of 

 the peduncle, which is of so frequent occurrence in Aspho- 

 delecc, is scarcely ever met with in the bordering genera, cx- 





pecics of A 



J9 



